Game apparatus



B. RADTKE GAME APPARATUS Filed Aug- 24 H15 ATTORNEYS.

30. discharging position.

Patented Aug. 27, 1935 UNITED/STATES ATENT l oFFlCE GAMEAPPARATUS Q" l yBruno RadtkerChi-cago, Ill., assignorto John. e p Y l f p VF.Meyer,Chicago,111.` Y Applicationfixugust `24, 1934, serial No; '141,202Q2 claims,l (o1. 194-1) This invention relates'to` a game apparatus.``It is an object of this invention t pIOi/ide an improved game apparatuswhichis relatively simpleand inexpensive in construction and eiicient inuse. l

A further object of thisinventicn vis to provide in a game apparatuswhich includesean ,inclined playing board, means for elevating the ballsfrom a point, belowwthe playing board onto the same, and means includinga new and improved lar rangement of inclined runways for returning ballswhich pass through the exit openings in the playing surface backvtovthevelevating means in such i a manner that the balls do notxbecome jammedor piled upon each other at the point where they enter the elevatingmeans, asA frequently hap` pens in the use of prior art game` apparatus.A further object of the invention isto'provide in a game apparatus, anovel device for preventing fraudulent operation of the game apparatus,

or, what is commonly known inthe trade as nilk-H ing the apparatus;said-deviceincluding the elee: vating means, a 'coin slide, andmeanscoacting with the elevatingmeans andvcoin slide yto prevent fraudulentoperation ,of the elevatingdevice after a predetermined ,number ofoperations thereof, when the coin slide` is movedjzfrornits initial orV`coin-receiving position .towardy coin.-

`Other objects will appear hereinafter, v

The invention consistsin-the novel combinar; tion and arrangementofpartsto be hereinafter described and claimed. -4

`The invention will be best understood-by reference to the accompanying.drawingnrshowing the preferred form ofconstruction andin which: Fig. 1is a fragmentary top plan view of a game apparatus-embodying a.preferredformvlof ,the I invention;

Fig. 2 1s ofFig.1;and

Fig. 3` is a fragmentary sectional detailed ,viewy on linef3-4-3in Figi1.u a l l A game apparatus embodying a preferred form of the inventionisgenerally indicated at Il) in the drawing, and comprises a cabinet I!which includes an inclined playing board I 2; the inclined playing boardI2 being provided with ball exit openings I3 and I4; and there beingarranged below the inclined playing board I2 a sliding panel or board I5which is provided with ball exit openings I6 which are adapted to beregistered with the ball exit openings I3 by slidable movement of theboard I5.

a `vertical sectional view on lineif-Z;

In carrying out the present invention,"there are provided below theslidable board orV panel l'oppositely inclined ballreturn runways I'IandI8 which converge toward each other from op'- positeends of the playingboard I 2 and merge into a runway I9; `the runway I9 extendingtransverselyl of the inclined playing board I2V belowthe latter andbeing inclined towardrthat` side of the cabinet II atlwhich is arrangedtheball elevating device, generally indicated at 2 0. The transverserunway IS communicates with'an in-` clinedrunway 2I'which is inclinedtoward the` elevating device 20, and thefspent playing .balls 22 areYfed Vone'at a timev fromrthe ball return runway 2` Iv into a verticalguideway 23 throughwhich they are elevated.` up tothe level of tbeplaying surface `I2 by means of a segmental velevating member orquadrant 24'; the elevator 24 having a ball seatportion 2,5 whichworksin `the guide'-Y wayr23. l, l- ,The elevating member 24` is pivotallymounted in the cabinetlj, as atZE; FigLZ, and has a. l at. erally`extending arm 2'I' which isA engageable vwith theend portion 28, o1 a,latch .member 29; the end portion 2,8 of the latch member `2!! beingpro:-A j'e'cted through. and ,beingslidableim a slot, 30, which isformed in a plate 3i; the plate 3| being stationarily mounted 4in the`cabinet II upon the upright supportingV wall -SZ't-herein,4 as shown in,At its opposite end the latch member 29-has an upwardly` extendingportion 33` Whichis` piv` otallycbnnectedto an arm 34 of a latchoper'-ating member 35; the member beiner pivotally mounted in the cabinet IIasat 3B and having an arm 31 which projects ,laterally and horizon.-tallyover the coin slide 38: Vand the coin slide 38 is providedwith `anupwardly extending pin or-lug 3B which is arranged in the path of`move-z mentof the arm 37` of the latch'operatingfmember35.` -4- y i ya;The game apparatus I0. as shown, .includesa conventional ball propellingdevice 'orplunger llgandtherlsegmental elevator'V 24 is operated bymeans of ajslide rod'4I in arconventionalmanner.

Operation In the operation of the new apparatus, the balls are propelledone at a time by the propelling device 40 up onto the inclined playingsurface I 2 and gravitate thereover so that they may enter into the ballexit openings I3 or into the exit opening I4; the balls being normallyretained in the exit openings I3 and I4 by means of the V'sliding panelI5, but are discharged therefrom by inward movement of the sliding panelI5, which may be accomplished by operation of the coin slide 38; theinner end of the coin slide 38 engaging an abutment member 43 which iscarried by the slide board I5 at the lower end of the latter.

As the balls are discharged from the exit openings I3 and I4 they fall,respectively onto the inclined runways I'I and I8 and roll down thelatter into the transverse runway I9; and they pass from the runway I 9into the runway 2I from which they are fed, one ata time, into theguideway 23 wherein they are elevated one at a time By means of theforegoing 4arrangement of ball return runways, the balls are preventedfrom piling up or jamming at the point where they are fed into theelevator guideway 23, and thus an objectionable feature of the prior artapparatus is eliminated.

.When the elevator operating slide rod 4I is pushed inwardly to operatethe elevator 24 the laterally extending arm 21 of, the elevator 24engages the end portion 28 of the elevator latching member 29 and movesthe end portion 28 of the said latch member 29 in the slot 30 which isprovided in the plate 3|; the latch member 29 being moved from full todottedline position, as shown in Figs. land 2; andas the latch member2.9 is thus moved from full to dotted line position, Figs. 1 and 2, byengagement of the arm 2'I of the elevator 24, the said elevatorarm 2lpasses out ofk engagement with, and moves above, the end portion 28 ofthe elevator Vlatch member 29, whereupon the resetting spring 42 for theelevator latch ing member 29 retracts the latch member 29 back toitsinitial or full line position, as shown in Fig. 2, and in thispositionof thelatch member 29, the end portion 28 thereof is disposed in theright hand end portion of the slot 30 u(Fig. 2). In this position of thelatch member 29, the end portion 28 thereof is disposed in the path ofthe elevator arm 2'I which falls, bygravity, back vonto the end portion28 of the latch lmember 29, thereby urging the said endportion 28against the action of. ,the spring 42into the notch which provides aseat for the end .portion 28 of the latch member 29 so that the elevator24cannot be returned tov its initial or ball receiving position untilthe end` portion 28 of the latch member 29 is again moved back to normalorineifective, position (Figs. land 2), which can be accomplished onlyby retracting the ycoin slide 38 which acts through the lug 39 andmember 3I-35-34 to move the end portion 28 ofthe latch rod29 fromrightto left (Fig. 1) hence if a'player attempts to operate the gameapparatus fraudulently, or, as it is called in the trade, to milk themachine by holding in the coin slide 38 and operating the elevator 4I-24, he Will be able to accomplish only one operation of the elevatingdevice II-24, since when the coin slide'38 is moved from coin-receivingtoward coindischarging position, (as in Fig. 1) the upright lug orY pin39 'which is carried by the coin slide 38 is movedaway from the arm 3'Iof thelatcb.

operating member 35, whereupon the spring 42 operates upon the latchmember 29 to pull the end portion 28 thereof back into position (as infull lines, Fig. l) to engage the elevator arm 21 and thereby preventfurther operation of the elevator 24 and its operating rod 4 I.

However, as the coin slide 38 is moved back toward, or into,coin-receiving position the upright pin or lug 39 which is carried bythecoin slide 38, engages the arm 31 of the latch-operating member 35 andthereby pivots the latter and the latch member 29 (from dotted to fullline position, counter-clockwise, Fig. l), thereby moving the endportion 28 of the latch member 29 (from dotted to full line position,Fig. 1) in the slot 3U; thus moving the said end portion 28 of the latchmember 29 out of latching engagement with the arm-21 of the elevator 24and thereby freeing the elevator 24 and its operating slide rod 4l forfurther operation.

When the coin slide 38 is again pushed in, toward coin-dischargingposition, the upright pin or lug 39 carried thereby is moved away fromthe arm 31 of the latch operating member 35 whereupon the spring 42 actsupon the latch modification, without departing from the spirit of theinvention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the precisedetails of construction set,

forth, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modications asvcome within the scope of the appended claims.

.Having thus described my invention what I claim. as new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is: Y

l. In a game apparatus Vwhich includes a cabinet and a member Within thecabinet providing a ballhplaying surface; means for elevating balls ontothe said playing surface; a coin-controlled member; and means coactingWith said controlled member for latching said elevating means againstfurther operation after one operation thereof when said coin-controlledmember is moved from its initial or coin-receiving position.

2. In a game apparatus which includes va cabinet and a member within thecabinet providing a ball playing surface; means for elevating balls ontothe said playing surface; a coin-controlled member; means coacting withthe said coin-controlled member to prevent further Voperation of thesaid Velevating means after one operation thereof when the saidcoin-controlled member is moved from its initial or coin-receivingposition; and means coacting with said coin-con-l trolled member torelease said latching means from latching engagement with said elevatingmeans when said coin-controlled memberris returned to its initial orcoin-receiving position.

BRUNO" RADTKE.

